Without His Key
by Sand-wolf579
Summary: 6 nearly freaks out when the stitchpunks have a meeting, and 1 forbids him to take his drawings and his key with him. Without his things, 6 becomes overwhelmed and feels completely lost.


**You know, I feel a little late to the party, because I was only introduced to this movie, like, a month ago. And I absolutely loved it. I wanted to try my hand at writing a fanfic, but it took so long because first, I needed inspiration to strike me. When it did, it still took a while to write. But, I finished it, and now it can be read.**

**I do not own 9...just thought I'd throw that out there.**

The sun was beginning to set on the cathedral, the home of the stitchpunks. 6 only noticed that the end of the day was near, because as the sun left the sky, it took his natural light source with it. 6 would miss the natural and bright light that the sun gave off, but he was used to drawing without it. He often drew in the middle of the night, with no light to show what he was doing. But he much prefered drawing in the day than at night. It was like the light of the sun drove away some of scariness of the images he drew.

This is why 6's new favorite place to draw was up in the watchtower. Not only was there plenty of light during the day, but it was more open too. 6 sometimes felt like a prisoner inside the cathedral, with 1 watching and criticizing his every movement. There were some days, like today, where 1 allowed 6 to join 5 up in the watchtower. On those days, 6 was supposed to help 5 keep watch, but he rarely did. 6 instead spent his time up in the watchtower drawing, and occasionally talking with 5. He knew that 1 would be angry if he knew, but he didn't, and 5 didn't mind, so that made it fine, didn't it?

"What are you drawing there?" 5 asked. 6 blinked and looked up at him, he hadn't realized that 5 had been watching him draw. 6 thought that 5 had still been looking out at the Emptiness, like he had been doing all day.

"The Source." 6 held up his drawing so that 5 could look at it better. To the one eyed stitchpunk, the drawing looked no different than any of the other drawings of 'The Source' that 6 had. But 6 looked so pleased with himself and his picture, that 5 just had to smile.

"It looks great." 5 said. 6 nodded, put the drawing back on the ground. He was about to begin working on it again when he felt 5's hand on his shoulder.

"How about you take a break from that for a minute. You should see this." 5 said. 6 was curious now. What did 5 want him to see? The striped stitchpunk let his older companion guide him to where they looked out into the Emptiness, and what 6 saw made him gasp.

Out in the horizon they could still see the sun, though it would be gone in a few minutes. Now though, the sun's last rays had turned the sky into the most amazing array of reds and pinks. It was the most beautiful sky that 6 had ever seen, and he wanted a closer look at it.

6 scampered onto 5's back, which nearly caused them both to fall over, but 5 was able to regain his balance. 6 made himself comfortable sitting on 5's shoulders and looked out at the sky again. He wasn't much higher up than he had been before, but that small difference was still a difference.

"Wow." 6 whispered. The sunset really looked amazing. He wished he could draw something like this, but he couldn't. He only had black ink, and he wouldn't be able to capture the awe-inspiring beauty of the sunset with just black. Besides, he had never tried drawing something like this before. He just drew things from his visions and dreams, images that were always ingrained in his head. 6 didn't know if he'd be able to draw something that he saw right in front of him, because he had never tried before. Maybe someday he would.

"What are you two doing?" 1's sharp voice snapped at them. 6 let out a startled and somewhat panicked cry. He quickly slid off of 5 and instead cowered behind his back. He couldn't help himself. 1 terrified him. It seemed no matter what he did, it was wrong in 1's eyes. And if it was really wrong, than 1 would have 8 punish him, which 6 didn't like at all. He couldn't understand why they couldn't just leave him alone.

"I was just, uh, giving 6 a better look." 5 said. He didn't bother saying what they were looking at, because 1 would certainly not be happy about that, and 5 didn't want to make him angry. 1 made him nervous too, though not as nervous as he made 6.

1 cast a quick look over across the watchtower and scoffed at the papers and ink that were sprawled across the floor. It was obvious that 6 had been drawing again, and recently too, as the ink wasn't dry yet. 1 glared at 6, who shrank back even more behind 5. 1 was angry with him. That wasn't good.

1 moved his gaze from 6 to 5, which just made 6 more nervous. 1 wasn't yelling at him, even though he was mad. Why not? Did that mean that 1 would punish him later? 6 felt both relieved at not having to be punished now, and terrified at the punishment that was sure to happen. Mostly though, he was terrified.

"When the two of you decide to take our survival seriously, you may remember that we have a meeting downstairs, and you are both expected to join, and participate." 1 emphasized those last words towards 6.

For a while now, the stitchpunks had been having meetings at least once a week, where they discussed strategies and reported anything that might be of importance. It was difficult to discuss things though, unless everybody participated, which 6 rarely did, and 1 was getting sick of it.

It wasn't that 6 didn't want to discuss things with the others, or that he was defying 1 by staying on silent on purpose. He wasn't. He just didn't talk a lot during the meetings because he didn't have a lot to say that was of importance.

If 6 felt there was something he had to say, he would say it. But the other stitchpunks were good speakers, and they usually covered everything that 6 would have said anyways. And they said it better than he would have too. So, during the meetings, 6 kept quiet and was content to just listen. He always tried to find at least something to say at each meetings, because that was what 1 wanted, but he never said more than just a few words. He kept silent the rest of the time and drew as he listened to the others talk.

1 wasn't going to let that be the case this time though. 6 was going to participate just as much as everyone else, and 1 knew how to make it happen.

"Don't worry, we're coming." 5 said to 1. 6 nodded and began gathering some of his papers. 1 scowled at the small stitchpunks actions. If he thought that 1 would let him bring those distracting papers so he could draw on them during the meeting, he was surely mistaken.

"Leave everything here and come downstairs this minute." 1 said coldly. 5 blinked, a little curious at the request. 1 had never cared before if they brought stuff or not. But looking at their leader, 5 could tell that he was completely serious, he really wanted them to leave all of their things. 5 took his shoulder pack off and put it by the telescope. He wouldn't need any of his things during the meeting anyway, and he could always come back and get them afterwards.

6 either didn't hear or chose to ignore 1's words about them leaving their things in the watchtower, because he continued to gather up his papers to take them downstairs. When he moved to pick up another page, he couldn't get it because there was the end of a staff on top of the page, trapping it. 6 grew nervous. Only one of the stitchpunks carried around a staff everywhere. 6 glanced upward to see 1 glaring down at him.

"Did you not hear me?" 1 asked.

"No...I heard." 6 answered. He knew what 1 had said, but 6 didn't think that the leader would mind so much if he took just a few papers to draw on, just so long as he participated in the meeting, which he would today.

"Then perhaps you did not understand." 1 snatched the papers that 6 was already holding out of his hands and tossed them to the ground. 6 flinched. Apparently, 1 did mind if he took some papers with him. 6 stood up. That was fine, he could go through the meeting without drawing...or, at least, he would try to, though it would be difficult. Even now 6 was beginning to feel anxious at the thought of not being able to draw, even if it was just for a little bit.

But, he had to at least try, or else 1 would get mad at him, and 6 didn't want that. 6 sighed and stood up. He began to walk to the bucket lift, but 1 used his staff to stop him.

"I told you to leave everything." 1 said sternly, his gaze on that stupid object that 6 always had with him. 6 stepped away from 1, his hands clutched tightly at his key. 1 couldn't be serious. He just couldn't. Was he honestly expecting 6 to leave his key up here too? By the look on 1's face, 6 could tell that that was exactly what 1 was expecting.

"N-no." 6 stuttered. He couldn't just leave his key up here. Just the thought made 6 feel even more anxious and panicked than he already was.

"1, is that really necessary?" 5 asked somewhat timidly. 1's sharp gaze fell on him and 5 drew back. He didn't want to make 1 angry any more than 6 did.

"It is absolutely necessary." 1 said harshly. "6 hardly participates in these meetings. 3 and 4 contribute more than he does." That was actually true. The twins, though they couldn't talk, always found a way to share any interesting information they found in those books of theirs.

"Perhaps 6 will be more willing to join our discussion if he doesn't have his distractions with him." 1 continued. 6 stepped further away, his grip on the key became tighter. There was no way he was about to leave his key here. Never!

1 slammed his staff on the ground. "6, if you do not leave your key here willingly, I shall have little choice but to take more forceful measures."

6 whimpered. 'forceful measures' meant 8. 6 didn't want to take his key off, but he really, _really_ didn't want 8 to come up to the watch tower and take the key from him. 8 would be very rough about taking the key, very rough. And he would hide his key so that 6 wouldn't be able to find it for a long time, which would be horrible. Very horrible. No, 8 couldn't get involved in this. Which meant…

6 sighed and very slowly slipped the key away from his neck. He put it down gently on the floor. The moment he wasn't touching his key anymore, his panic increased. He really didn't want to do this. He didn't want to leave his key behind for who knew how long, but he didn't have much of a choice. 6 trudged over to 5, who looked concerned. With every step 6 took, he grew more and more frantic. When he reached 5, he clung tightly to him like a lifeline.

"M-my key...Drawings...Need them." 6 muttered, his voice shaky.

"Don't worry, the meeting shouldn't last that long, and then you can come get your key and drawings back." 5 said gently. He rubbed 6's back to try to calm him, though it did little to help.

"Want them now." 6 said.

"I know," 5 sighed. He lead 6 to the bucket lift, as 1 was getting impatient waiting for them. As they were going down, 6 began shaking, quite a bit. 1's back was to them, so 5 glared at the back of their 'leader's' head. 5 knew that this was just a way of punishing 6 for drawing up in the tower, which wasn't fair at all. His drawing wasn't doing any harm to any of them.

6 was feeling trapped, overwhelmed. His thoughts were all jumbled up over each other, that he could barely understand what he was thinking. The only thing he understood about his thoughts was that he didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. 6 barely registered when they got to the throne room where the others were, ready to begin. 6 was also ready for the meeting to begin, just so it could end and he could get his things back.

During the meeting 6 heard and noticed everything, but he didn't fully understand any of it. Time was also acting strangely. It felt like time was moving fast, and yet slow at the same time. It reminded 6 of the times right after he woke up from a nightmare, where things felt like something in between real and not real. The only way 6 knew to make things normal again in times like this was with his key...which he didn't have.

6 whimpered and scratched at his neck. He needed his key back. He felt so empty without it. He hated feeling like this. 6 put hands on the floor and subconsciously began moving them as if he were drawing. When he noticed what he was doing he tried to force himself to stop. 1 would be furious at him if he scratched another drawing into the floor, and 6 really didn't want to be tied up and strung out to hang out the window upside down all day long...again.

As hard as 6 tried though, he couldn't get his fingers to stop wanting to draw. He always drew to put the things inside his head out. Maybe drawing could help him get his mind off his key. Except, he couldn't draw, he didn't have his papers, or his ink, or anything. He had nothing. He was by himself.

To keep himself from scratching the floor, 6 did the only thing he could think of to do. He moved his hands from the floor to his lap. He let his hands make drawing motions again. His sharp pen-nib fingers dug into his legs as he 'drew', but he didn't care. Doing something with his hands helped 6 when he became anxious, which was often. Since he didn't have his key to fiddle with, or paper to draw on, his legs would have to do. Even if it hurt quite a bit.

Actually, 6 found himself not minding the pain. Yeah, it hurt, but it was a physical hurt, which 6 almost liked better than the emotional and mental pain he felt every day. The pain from 6's scratches almost distracted him from the pain of not having his key or his drawings. Maybe if the scratches hurt more, they would distract more...wait, no! Bad idea. He shouldn't hurt himself anymore than he already was, should he? No, he shouldn't...right? 6 was so confused, he didn't know what to do.

6 heard 1 ask him and 5 if they had seen anything while they had been up in the watchtower. 6 took a deep breath. Here was his chance. All he had to do was say something that 5 had told him to say earlier, than 1 would be satisfied, and wouldn't make him leave his key anymore.

"Th-the s-sunset." 6 struggled to say. He groaned at himself and dug his fingers deeper into his legs, not even pretending to draw anymore. That wasn't what he was supposed to say, and yet it had been so hard. Why? Why couldn't he get his mind to work enough to say something useful? Or even anything at all.

6 gasped when he felt someone grasp at his wrists. They pulled his hands away from his legs. He tried to pull out of their grasp, but they held tight. They weren't going to let go. 6 looked over to see that 5 was the one holding him. Why would he do that?

"Uh, we didn't see anything much." 5 said to 1, still holding on to 6. "The emptiness was pretty empty today." Usually 1 wouldn't stand for such a simple, non-explicit answer. This time though, for whatever reason, 1 accepted it. He seemed to have been rushing things the entire meeting.

"I believe that that is enough for today. You may all go." 1 said. This surprised everybody. A rushed meeting was one thing. But a rushed short one was unheard of to them. They had only been there for a few minutes, and had barely reported anything. No discussions had happened. Basically, it was exactly the type of meeting that 1 hated, so why had he made it happen like that?

When 6 heard 1 say that they could go, he didn't stop to wonder why. He didn't really care why. He just wanted to get back up to the watchtower and have his key around his neck again. 6 began to stand up, but felt a sharp pain in his legs when he tried. 6 fell to his knees again, his legs too sensitive to use.

"N-no! No, no, no, no, no." 6 cried out. He brought his hands to his head and began pulling at his yarn hair. This could not be happening. It was so unfair. All he wanted was to have his key back, that was it...and maybe his drawings too, but mostly his key. Was that really so much to ask for? But he couldn't walk, so he couldn't get his key back now.

5 hated seeing 6 when he was like this, which was usually after an especially terrible nightmare or vision. He wanted to do something to help him, and the only that would help 6 calm down was if he had his key back. Well then, it was a good thing that that was something that 5 could do.

He bent down and gently, so as to not startle him, picked 6 up. It was a little difficult, because 6 was shaking so badly, but 5 was able to carry him to the bucket lift. He set 6 on the floor and began to operate the lift to take them to the watchtower. 6's legs would have to be taken care of, but 6 wouldn't sit still for long enough to mend them unless he had his key.

When they got to the watchtower, 5 left 6 in the bucket and went to get their things. He grabbed his shoulder pack and, of course, 6's key. He also grabbed 6's drawings and ink. The watchtower often had strong winds, and 6's drawing could easily be blown away if they were left up here, and 5 knew that 6 wouldn't want that. Besides, it would be good for 6 to be able to draw in case he got bored down in the workshop while 5 tried to mend his legs.

6's legs. 5 shuddered a bit just thinking about it. The injuries themselves weren't that bad, it was the fact that 6 had done that to himself that bothered 5. He didn't blame his smaller companion, who had obviously been distressed and not in right state of mind when he had done it. Still though, 5 had been terrified when he had seen 6 scratching at and hurting himself like that.

5 went back to the bucket and the first thing he did was slip the ring that was connected to the key over 6's head till it lay around his neck, where it belonged. 6 though hadn't seemed to have even noticed. He was still completely out of it. So 5 guided 6's hands to the key's handle, which he clasped onto. 6 blinked at the familiar touch and looked down to see his key. It was back!

"My key!" 6 said happily. He hugged 5, who breathed a sigh of relief, glad that 6 was back to acting like himself. 5 operated the lift again and took them down to where his workshop was. He carried 6 in and set him on the medical bed. He had expected for 6 to resist and fight him, like he always did when he needed any work done down here. But no. 6 held still and behaved himself all while 5 mended the tears in his legs.

He didn't care that he was in one of his least favorite rooms in the cathedral. All he cared about was that he had his key again. As long as he had that, he would be fine.

**So, I'm not sure how that turned out. I enjoy it, but I'm not sure if I captured the characters well. Then again, I always feel like this whenever I write for a new fandom that I've never written for before.**

**On an interesting note, this is based off of an experience that I had a few weeks ago. See, I like to draw, mostly though I like to draw when I'm in a class or a discussion or something. It keeps my mind focused. Anyways, one day when we were having a discussion, the teacher made me leave my drawing things in another room, and I kind of freaked out. I felt so overwhelmed, and anxious, and my mind was all jumbled up. Basically, I felt like 6...without the scratching, I didn't do that, but I did nearly rip a page from my book, which wouldn't have been good.**

**I know that the teacher was just trying to get me to participate in class more, but really, I participated less when I didn't have my drawing things than when I did. She thinks that I'm shy, or don't pay attention, but neither is the case. Like 6, I just think that other people cover what already needs to be said.**

**Anyways, I'll stop my boring story telling now. I hope you enjoyed reading the fanfic.**


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